All aboard! The Strictly Express is back in town as the biggest and best dancing show on television returns to BBC One.
The celebrity contestants of 2015 are Ainsley Harriott, Anita Rani, Anthony Ogogo, Carol Kirkwood, Daniel O’Donnell, Georgia May Foote, Helen George, Iwan Thomas, Jamelia, Jay McGuiness, Jeremy Vine, Katie Derham, Kellie Bright, Kirsty Gallacher and Peter Andre.

Also returning is Strictly’s legendary judging panel - Head Judge Len Goodman plus Darcey Bussell, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood who will be the panel of dance experts that this year’s celebrities will be trying to impress.

The professional dancer line-up welcomes three sensational, brand new dancers, they are Russian-born Dancing With The Stars favourite Gleb Savchenko, 2012 Italian Champion Giovanni Pernice and eight-times South African Latin American Champion Oti Mabuse. They will be joined by Strictly favourites, Aliona Vilani, Aljaž Skorjanec, Anton du Beke, Brendan Cole, Janette Manrara, Joanne Clifton, Karen Clifton, Kevin Clifton, Kristina Rihanoff, Natalie Lowe, Ola Jordan, Pasha Kovalev and Tristan MacManus.

On Saturday 5th September at 7:15pm, co-presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will host an exclusive premiere and star-studded red carpet launch for the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing and welcome 15 brand new celebrity contestants to the dancefloor.

This is where the journey will begin for the class of 2015. At the launch, the celebrities will discover which professional dancer they are to be paired up with for the competition and with their help, hope to take home the famous Glitter Ball Trophy. Along with the professional dancers, the celebrities will take to the dance floor for the very first time for a mesmerising group performance. There will also be one final performance from last year’s reigning champions and 2014 winners, Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev.

Once the celebrity pairs up with their professional dancer, they will have three weeks to train before returning to the ballroom to perform live to the nation every Saturday night. There will be no public vote in the first week and the results show with Tess and Claudia will begin from week two on Sunday nights. From then, each week the two couples with the lowest combined scores, from the judges and public vote, will face each other in the dance off, with one couple leaving the competition for good.

At the halfway stage of the competition and now a Strictly Come Dancing tradition, the show will travel to the international home of Ballroom dancing where the celebrities and their partners will perform at the world famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

Sir Bruce Forsyth will be returning to the Strictly Ballroom once again to host special Children in Need and Christmas editions of the show.

Zoe Ball will also return to host It Takes Two on BBC Two. The weekday half-hour show is back with even more exclusive access and backstage gossip that ever before. This year, professional Strictly dancer Joanne Clifton joins the team as their resident dance expert and there will be a brand new hour-long show every Friday filmed in front of a live audience.

I've just worked out who you are talking about. I didn't want to ask

Ao

his name always sets me off on the clanger(ish) bit of the tune

The reason he's doing this is because he has a shoulder injury and can't punch

seemed odd at the time

FFS

Retired from Splash due to injury, must be a Southern softie

Mummy's little Soldier

Tim's embarrassed for you hems

Not entirely convinced of the un****ness of that quiz, what with you conveniently getting the ESC question. Nevertheless, when you phuck up, or are too slow, just blame it on the Dreambox. It`s what I do all the time, and I seem to be still getting away with it.

I'm embarrassed for you both

...also one of the 6 rounds was exactly the same as last year .....we got 8/10 in that one

knew about the injury and op hems, but still not great to be starting off in a sling I'd say

laid off my stake at a small loss, if he cant lift and throw his partner around he is no better than a oldster

Slightly OT but Busey doing DWTS

No Thanks

this good enough for launch show?